@@1359401 Yes you right but... Millions of musicians all over the world appreciate them music and they influenced millions of bands. Them music is still studied and played all over the world. Not to mention endorsements giveth from Frank Zappa to Elio e le storie tese. They are Giants... nothing more nothing else. Thanks to have been existed Kids.
John 'pugwash' Weathers - went on to join Man, replacing the brilliant Terry Williams (Pugwash also did a stint with the Neutrons). Great drummer, indeed.
Sungod has a point. You could release this through bandcamp on your own terms and record in who knows how many ways. I will admit, maybe the openness to creativity was a tiny bit higher than it is now, but that discredits the hard work of experimenting musicians today. Jd Beck and Domi and pushing the limits of jazz fusion from their bedrooms.
The tone on Ray Shulman's bass is killer! He was a genius of a bass player. Plus the keyboard playing, drumming, singing and guitaring are all phenomenal!
@@plumage_again His tone is miraculous. the bass and low end proper are Fender perfection, and as you point out, there's just enough edge, like a tube preamp, or real tubes somewhere.
Last year, in a book about a famous live concert venue in my hometown, where lots of great acts played during the 70s and 80s - everyone from Deep Purple to Diana Ross - I spotted some recollections by a guy who had seen them during their 1976 tour. He and his acquaintance on the seat next to him were both super impressed by the playing skills of GG, and as aspiring bassists, especially by Ray Shulman. "We were floored by him...In time I went into other direcftions in life; my friend however did make a living out of playing the bass. His name was Jonas Hellborg."
The Shulmans lived 200 yds from me in Potsmouth when they first started out, they were then called The Roadrunners around 1964/65. I used to watch them play at Eastney youth club at Eastney moden school back then as a 14 year old. Also Phill Schulman who played sax in the band was my art teacher at Eastney Modern school. They then turned profesional & changed there name to Simon Dupree & the Big Sound, before forming Gentle Giant. Lots of care free happy moments back in those days.
What happens in On Reflection is a miracle. I showed that to dozens of students, musicians and friends. Some were shocked, but some couldn't note how impossible is to make someone play 4-part poliphony in 2 different instruments and still sing a capella polyphonic lines
I am in a shopping mall in Toledo, Ohio, listening to this band in my ear plugs, I have know their music for over forty years and yet now their music is blowing my mind again, this is wondrous, how could they play live so well? Live they are even better than my favorite band ever, Genesis. Both bands were just amazing.
The BEST band, ever. Fine composers, fine performers, virtuoso instrumentalists. they were able to write in all kind of styles: ballads, hard rock songs, classic counterpoint, funky, Renaissance tunes.... And they did not care very much about show business: the music was at first place, always. Just amazing. Every musician has something to learn from them. Thank you, Giants.
That's probably more a matter of great marketing on part of the managements of those bands you HAVE heard of? :D Gentle Giant did their part of the deal (!) writing, rehearsing, recording and performing the music and people couldn't market it properly. I'm 61 as well and sometimes I feel there is too much nostalgia going on in my record collection. Count yourself lucky to have a "new fresh" experience to be surprised by. :D
My god what a formidable live band. One of the few Progressive Rock bands that actually ROCK. Then there’s vast dimensions of their arrangements. Forever cherished Band. ❤️
:)...A bit short sighted or, perhaps over exuberant.. But, Having started my concert going career in 1974, I assure you ALL of the prog bands rocked...YES, Genesis, U.K, Crimso, Pink Floyd, Mahavishnu orchestra, Kansas, ELP, and many others...Just as great as this...:)
And a wonderful guy. An old friend of mine from Western Pennsylvania, Barbara Tanner, was his wife, and I was fortunate to spend some time with them. Ray was humble and soft-spoken; you'd never know that he was this incredibly talented and skilled musician. Taken too soon.
@@keith9482 for most of us prog fans, Derek's corny or whiny vocals were the dealbreaker. (Kerry has a much better voice.) also, their music was far more obtuse than a YES or King Crimson. shame, b/c of the talent in the band.
@@dumpygoodness4086 Shulman's got one of THE great rock voices. He's like Roger Chapman without the bleating. Fantastic. Kerry had a very sweet, pleasant voice but couldn't support his voice for lead vocals live.
Is there a more under appreciated, underrated, under discussed guitarist than Gary Green! He's just amazing!! We all have our favorite guitarists, but he has never gotten the respect he deserves. He's flown under the radar for so many years. Only true GG fans really know of his excellence. Just love the guy. I'm just glad people get to see him and GG in these live performances on RUclips. Thanks for the share!! I love Gentle Giant. So glad I got to see them four times. Opening for Yes, Jethro Tull and Foghat in the early 1970's. Finally got to see them headline at Harpo's in Detroit, Michigan in 1980. What a band. Truly one of a kind.
So true! Gary is one of the best. I had a cool experience involving Mr. Green in 1974. My bro Jim and I wanted to get into the Whiskey a-go-go to hear GG. We went up the fire escape and knocked on a door. Gary Green opened it! He said "C'mon in. Are these guys ready to go on yet?" He went back into the dressing room, got the other Shulmans , Minnears, and Weathers, and they all went down the stairs and out onto the stage to start the show. It was so cool.
@Lance Williams Agreed, but it was his bass playing that always jumped out at me. I also liked his stage presence. I saw Giant live a couple of times and he always had a special "spark" about him on stage.
@@bobparker8294 I agree. We all know how talented these guys are on multiple instruments, but, yes, his bass playing is superb. not in the solo sense, but as part of the symphony that is held together by a strong rhythm section. Very interplaying, yet strong and forward.
I don't think the drummer gets much attention either. When you listen to their music and focus on his drumming, he is perfect for their style and sound. Too many people judge drummers by their athletic drum solos, and that is not the main function of a drummer in a band.
@@birage9885 I agree. John Weathers is amazing here. There are household names like Bonham, Paice and Peart that are continually held aloft as the best that 70s rock drumming had to offer. They are all great drummers but, I sincerely believe they were not of a calibre to play in a band like this. I think, John Weathers could of however filled in for their bands with a couple of weeks rehearsal. He is amazing. Not to mention his guitar and mallet(tuned percussion) skills. Obviously a very talented all-round musician, as was every other member of this group.
What is refreshing about these guys is that they did not attempt to be any kind of superstar. Just every day people with extraordinary musical talents enjoying making great music.
Saw them in Chicago in my late teens, they changed my brain, my outlook on music changed … they set a clean standard in music for me, what a group and never got the respect ! Prog was changed in my mind, loved them !
By far the greatest of the "Prog Rock" bands from that era. Those harmonies.....how did they come up with them, much less remember the notes they were supposed to hit when the time came? Truly amazing!
This is still so far ahead compared to most of todays music ! The interchanging of instruments, polyphonic lines, changes of tempo, etc. etc. Gentle Giant, a must for all who aspire to make music.
As a huge prog fan I have to admit I came a little late to these guys. There is, in my mind no other band who achieved that level of musicianship. Gary Green is easily up there with Howe and Hackett and Ray Shulman and is up there with Chris Squire and that's only two them. The vocals first drew me in and here they a faultless. I can only think they never won as many plaudits on their instruments because they never stayed on them long enough! A friend's band supported them around this era and said it blew their minds watching them after their set. So glad they are getting the appreciation they deserve now, they were truly ahead of their time. Thank you Gentle Giant for the music and the humour, no one worked as hard as you.
For Gentle Giant round about two million views, respect! They are one of the most criminaly underrated bands ever. I like GG so much, it's real good music.
Shit! This band is good! Being in Sri Lanka at the margins of the western music world, I came across Gentle Giant much after I immersed in Western hard rock, progressive and jazz rock. In the seventies, we only got to hear the big names - ELP, Yes, Tull, Floyd et al - and may be vaguely of the existence of these lesser known groups like G Giant, Gong. It's thanks to You Tube and you cool guys who upload.
I am 76 and bought 2 import records of Gentle Giant back in 72. They got a opening act gig for Wishbone Ash. The audience had never seen or heard of them and just came t see Wishbone Ash. By the end of their second tune the audience were standing on their cushioned seats and bouncing on them to the music. People were dancing in the isles. they simply went crazy. After they finished Wishbone Ash came on and the audience sat quite and at the end of the second tune it was dead silent. I turned around and the entire audience had left the hall. WTF!!! I saw the Doors, Janis Joplin, Cream, Hendrix twice, The Rolling Stones, Yes, ELP, Genesis, Rush ...and many more but this was the best concert I saw in my life.
The greatest band ever. Period. I encourage especially the die-hard Gentle Giant fans who were critical of the later, more commercial tunes to listen to this show as a whole. The juxtaposition of the non-prog songs adds quite a bit, just like the constant rotating of instruments and overall dynamics.
I saw them at the Roxy in L.A. around the same time. They were jaw dropping. Tight, so very very tight playing really complex parts executed flawlessly.
More than the depth and complexity in the music itself, and more than the musical mastery of every single one of the band members, the raw energy that comes from total conviction and the absence of mediocrity are what I find so inspiring. They believe in their music with a vengeance. Also, I think it's brilliant to use complexity itself as a means of expression, when it has only ever been a consequence of expression before. It's brutally unapologetic, just as real rock should be.
this video is one example of perfection just the singing alone is just perfect! all the other stuff around it, including the body language, really just perfection!!!
Can not sing enough praises of this group. They should go down in rock history as among the best of prog rock groups. And the most inventive groups of all time
One of the better live rock concerts ever!! What a great band GG!! I am a devote follower of Yes, Genesis , ELP, P Floyd, Marillion, Renaissance....but this, THIS is different. I cant stop watching GG....Thanks for your music
One of the things I like best about Gentle Giant is that for all the astonishing complexity, they had fun and weren't afraid to show it when they were playing live. No dry ice and lasers and robes necessary.
Yes! It's funny to me because the music is the apex of the pomp that punk was pushing back against, but live they don't look so serious. Genesis were the other way round.
This is quite simply the finest live music you will ever hear. The versatility and togetherness of the band, combined with the arrangements and atmosphere created by the sheer might of the writing ability is astounding. I say this as a Fripp, Zappa, Genesis and Yes fan. This is another level in my opinion.
Saw them live 7/4/76 in Rochester, NY. Could not believe what I had just experienced. Still, too this day, the greatest show I’ve ever seen and I’m now 61.
Gentle Giant is one of the most original bands in modern music. The musical level of each member and as a team is simply extraordinary. There are bands that are way ahead of their time and musical era, and Gentle Giant is clearly one of them. I truly admire and love Gentle Giant. Thank you so much for your music, your creativity and your beautiful musical " craziness ".
This is how you did shit back then...no computers, no auto tune, no drum machines, no samples.... the mixer was as long as a dining room table...everything was hard wired and the tape was 2" wide and cost a fortune!!! You worked your part until you could play it in your sleep! This was the best time in audio EVER!!!!!
12 seconds in and already I see a dude surrounded by electronic keyboards and synths, waiting for the taped intro to finish. it’s one bad haircut away from a Skrillex gig
@@QuartetoScherzo Picked up my new mixer at Yellow Freight 15 years ago. Had to leave the tailgate down and strap it in. In its shipping box, the damn thing wouldn't fit inside the 5 1/2 foot bed of my friend's pick-up!!! BIG mixer... an analog Allen & Heath 56 channel with 10 subs :) Also had two large custom made slant front side cabinets full of equipment to go along with it. Twelve dbx266xl compressors, two TC Electronics and one Lexicon multi-effect processors, four Aphex Aural Exciters, six Orban Dynamic Sibilance Controllers, two single channel 31 band EQ's, four feedback eliminators, a real time analyzer, etc., etc. I hate digital mixers... will not work with one PERIOD. I will not go through a half dozen screens just to reset a compressor to 3:1 instead of 2:1. Or another half dozens screens to kick a little more 2K in a vocal channel, or drop the center frequency to 1.8K. With an analog mixer and an analog off-board rack, I can make that change in a millisecond. Had people come up all the time after a concert to tell me how great everything sounded... then be shocked that I was using an 'old' analog mixer and off-board effects. My answer... THAT is why it sounded so good!!! I won't use the new switching power supply power amps either. Yeah they're light weight... but the bass will start breaking up way before their supposed rated power :( My old QSC's might weigh 30 pounds a piece... but they will run right at clip for hours and hours and put out crystal clear sound and floor shaking bass. It saddened me to see the Gentle Giant's keyboardist with an on-stage mixer. The only thing worse to me is an on-stage mixer for the drums. For the keyboards... what he/she hears on stage isn't always what is needed in the house mix. And somethings a little EQ'ing is needed, but just on one of the keyboards :( And drums... how the hell can I pull the snare or bass or high-hat up in the mix depending on the song being played it they are all mixed on-stage??? I also always demanded a separate mic for the ride cymbal. With just overheads, the ride gets lost in the mix. Plus every individual instrument and vocalist needs their own separate channel. It IS a pain in the a$$ to keep on top of all those channels... but THAT is what a sound man is paid for.
@@nonddd9222 Nothing to do with what they say up there. That's just a welcome intro. The one people use these days are software synth or softsynth(computer generated sound) very2 different from an old generation digital hardware synth.
Ok, so the entire BAND can play guitar and how many other instruments?!? Easily one of the most underrated prog bands of all time. Incredibly intricate and tasteful arrangements coupled with shear raw talent. I ask you - where are the band like this today??
I’ve played difficult music in many bands and projects; Rush, Toto, Steely Dan etc but this stuff - this is truly unbelievably hard to play as a band and as individuals.
Gentle Giant, King Crimson, and Zappa are probably the hardest things you can come across (although Steely Dan can be a huge pain in the ass). Thank God nobody ever requests those three at clubs.
I was in a band that covered "Just the Same". Man, that was a BITCH. Half the band playing in 6, half the band playing in 7 on the verses. Totally insane.
the second time I got to see Gentle Giant I was living In Atlanta GA. they played a relatively small club downtown called Alex Cooleys Electric Ballroom. I went there with a friend and was tripping on LSD. Got separated from my bud and was searching for him, I went upstairs and there was a section roped off with 5 people sitting at a table I was standing next to them and one of them turns to me and asks me if I was familiar with this music. I said oh hell yes and told them of my first time seeing GG. they invited me between the ropes and I sat down, these people are known as the band Kansas. I sit with them tripping and drinking on their dime for the whole concert. What a life for a poor boy from Indiana.
For just one guy to be so brilliantly proficient is a rare find... For FIVE of them to be so good - and all find each other, and then to play like this, is a miracle. Exceptional musicianship - A true gem of a band - seldom given the credit they deserved, sadly. Perhaps it's just above most people's tiny brains.
Not only is each of them brilliant, but what really makes it Gentle Giant is their most intricate interplay. Together they made some of the most complex and beautiful prog rock (even though they don't like that label).
I first saw them live in maybe 1970 opening for Jethro Tull in Rochester, NY. I have every album and have seen them live another 3 or 4 times through to their disbandment. Whoever would think that Gregorian Chant could be so electric; that Medieval sound could rock in such an innovative way. What a great band with such great musicians playing multiple instruments. I miss them
The only group that deserves to cover GG is Gary Green's group "Three Friends" ... no one outside of the group would really appreciate what was being created.
The band went out together to see Giant play this set in New Haven, in '77. We were stunned by their incredible musicianship. There was no band like them in the genre with their technical abilities, member to member. I recall they wore the same outfits as here, too. It was a display of musical excellence I'll never forget.
ONe of those accidental discoveries that takes the boredom out of life and turns it into pure musical bliss. I've never heard of this group before but i'm loving it!!! Thanks for sharing.
One of the top five progressive rock bands ever. What I really like about them is they have a very original sound, they have soooo much fun on stage, and all of them can swap around different instruments. Lead singer has a very unique vocal style, very soulful and melodic.
I stumbled on them less than a year ago through this video and have wondered where they were my whole life. Killer musicians with incredible live presence and uncanny precision. And the medieval compositions and virtuosic performances on multiple instruments is just great. But does it get much better than John Weathers beating his kit into submission one moment and playing the most delicate and complex runs on the vibraphone or xylophone the next. Wonderful band of true musicians.
Has a band ever had a more appropriate name???!!! Because they were GIANTS! I own almost all of their vinyl LPs, bought new in the 70s / early 80s. And as magical as those LPs are, FINALLY seeing them live is pure magic - as they were also great showmen. But to really get the experience, you have to read their lyrics and look at the album art. And usually when one says a certain band's member is extremely talented, they are typically talking about his or her proficiency on one instrument - whereas these guys are each masters of several. I love that they played all of these delicate, beautiful parts, the incredible harmonies, the wonderful, unusual keyboard embellishments, dynamic bass lines, awesome drumming, and layered acoustic guitars, and then loud, bluesy passages that really rock on electric - and so often, all in the same track!
How wonderful is this, nobody “dislikes” this video. “WE” always find sometii hi king to complain about. Gentle Giant is lovely pure joy and weirdness.
Hang on a minute, the keyboard player is playing a cello, the guitarist is playing a recorder and the bassist is playing a violin!!! What the... kind of super group IS this???
Seen this band in The Liverpool Stadium in about 1972, everyone played everything, very talented band..I read somewhere Reg Dwight stepped in on keyboards for a few gigs in the early days.
Underrated indeed it about to start this again its is I a musical class all by itself. This is new music & record companies should recognize its potential. Listening record companies?
1. Two Weeks In Spain (The Missing Piece) 0:22 Gary Green - Electric Guitar Kerry Minnear - Wurlitzer, Synthesizer, Hammond Organ Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals, Tambourine Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar John Weathers - Drum Kit 2. Free Hand (Free Hand) 3:33 Gary Green - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals Kerry Minnear - Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ, Clavinet, Backing Vocals Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals John Weathers - Drum Kit 3. On Reflection (Free Hand) 11:10 Gary Green - Soprano Recorder, Vocals, Electric Guitar Kerry Minnear - Cello, Vocals, Wurlitzer, Clavinet, Synthesizer Derek Shulman - Vocals, Tambourine Ray Shulman - Violin, Vocals, Bass Guitar John Weathers - Vibraphone, Vocals, Sleigh Bells, Drum Kit, Glockenspiel 4. I'm Turning Around (The Missing Piece) 16:57 Gary Green - Electric Guitar Kerry Minnear - Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar John Weathers - Drum Kit 5. Just The Same (Free Hand) 21:06 Gary Green - Electric Guitar Kerry Minnear - Wurlitzer, Clavinet, Synthesizer, Hammond Organ Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals, Tambourine Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar John Weathers - Drum Kit 6. Playing the Game (The Power and the Glory) 26:03 Gary Green - Electric Guitar Kerry Minnear - Minimoog, Synthesizer Derek Shulman - "Shulberry", Lead Vocals Ray Shulman - Electric Guitar John Weathers - Drum Kit 7. Memories Of Old Days (The Missing Piece) 30:50 Gary Green - 12-String Acoustic Guitar Kerry Minnear - Hammond Organ, Wurlitzer, Synthesizer, Electric Guitar Derek Shulman - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals Ray Shulman - Acoustic Guitar John Weathers - Electric Guitar 8. Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It (The Missing Piece) 38:14 Gary Green - Electric Guitar Kerry Minnear - Electric Guitar Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar John Weathers - Drum Kit 9. JP Weathers presents 40:53 10. Funny Ways (Gentle Giant) 42:40 Gary Green - 12-String Acoustic Guitar Kerry Minnear - Cello, Backing Vocals, Hammond Organ, Synthesizer, Vibraphone Derek Shulman - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals Ray Shulman - Violin, Backing Vocals, Trumpet John Weathers - Drum Kit 11. For Nobody (The Missing Piece) 51:23 Gary Green - Electric Guitar Kerry Minnear - Hammond Organ, Backing Vocals, Wurlitzer Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals John Weathers - Drum Kit 12. Mountain Time (The Missing Piece) 56:00 Gary Green - Electric Guitar Kerry Minnear - Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar John Weathers - Drum Kit
nice band! I never knew of this band till I clicked on this. I enjoyed this very much. THe keyboard player is a a magician. He can play just about anything!
Pasan los años, pasan las décadas y me sigue asombrando la "sincronizada virtuosidad" de este grupo. Su sonido es único e irrepetible. Gran personalidad la de los GG. Una de las mas grande bandas que he escuchado. Gracias Gentle Giant!
Was introduced to this band at age 20 by a music "connaisseur" friend during our civil service time in Münster, Germany (Thanks Andreas, you made my life richer) and ever since I believe these guys to be the most innovative, intoxicating flavour rich band of all times. Best be served sober (or with booze, or weed, or fruit....:)
THIS VIDEO IS EPIC! Thank God for Gentle Giant! What an amazing group. I saw them at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in April of 1977. One of the best concerts I have ever seen. That night watched them in amazement as they played On Reflection (at 10:42 on this video) live and do it flawlessly. Later, on the way home, Derek Shulman was interviewed on KROQ 106.7 and he said it took a full TWO WEEKS to get the studio version of correct because it was so complex. Two weeks with do overs and editing! We had just witnessed them do it live with no editing and it was perfect. These guys had TALENT with a capital T. Thank you Gentle Giant for 48 years of GREAT MUSIC which sounds as fresh today as it did back then. Well done.
I am the biggest Yes and ELP fan. I found this band only a couple years ago and I appreciate them just as much. There is something about them and their music I like so much. I can't actually explain it. They are just so organically good and natural. All these performances I can they were really having fun. Their energy is great.
I saw that show at the Shrine too. A pretty small venue. Out of all the shows that came through LA, this one has stuck in my mind as one of the best. As good as Peter Gabriel Genesis "The Lamb Lays Down on Broadway" at the same venue. Different but memorable too. Thanks for the date of the concert. Think they played w/Renaissance. Have to say I liked GG better.
This is one of the most unappreciated bands of all time. This is what I call fusion. These guys have it all. I am so glad this was posted as I never got to see them live but I have a lot of their recordings. Thank you!!!
You are very fortunate! In an "Interview" with Kerry Mineer, or Derek Schulman, that they felt they were bigger in the U.S. than England; specically San Francisco. Wow!
***** Not true friend...GG made more money here than anywhere...They sold out everywhere...Not bad when your competition is YES, ELP, GENESIS, ZAPPA, CRIMSO, FLOYD, TULL,VISHNU,MOODY BLUES, and about a thousand other splendid bands... ( oh yeah, all of them at their peak, all brilliant) We love them here in philly, I know that. : )
@C Davis How can they be underrated when this has 1,6 Million views ? They are not underrated among Prog Fans they are mentioned in the same Sentence like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Frank Zappa s 1975 Band.
I saw Gentle Giant It was the concert at Widener University featured on the latest huge boxset: " CHESTER, 1977" GG turned a mausoleum of a field house into a concert hall. Ray Schulman's quad violin solo was extraordinary!
GG by far the best live band I have ever seen! Yes complex arrangements but not contrived nor disingenuous. Superb melodies, harmonies, and rhythms. This band was FUN and the most musically adventurous.
I am on the floor crying and in ectasy, GG consistently performed the best live concerts I had not the chance to be there.40 years late but ... I was there, you are simply the best.
*As a second comment, I'm listening to Just The Same [yes, a day later from my first comment, things are slow moving out here !!] and I can't get over how tight Gentile Giant was, and how intricate their music was. NOBODY was doing anything on that level at this time, and it's debatable if anyone ever did as time went on, so BRAVO Gentile Giant !!
Wonderful group of british art-rock. At firsts they've stunned me with "In the Glass House", and after that I've heard all other albums. And they are great. They are Giant. Giant of Rock.
always thought they were the best British prog band saw them in 1972 in plymouth, they were very much like the way they are in this brilliant upload - remarkable!
Gentle Giant is the most underated prog band in history! What a concert man!
More like they are/were the greatest most epic legendary unique innovative genius most obscenely criminally underrated band ever.
Agree!
@@1359401 Yes you right but... Millions of musicians all over the world appreciate them music and they influenced millions of bands. Them music is still studied and played all over the world. Not to mention endorsements giveth from Frank Zappa to Elio e le storie tese. They are Giants... nothing more nothing else. Thanks to have been existed Kids.
very zappaesk! fantasic Band!!
And you hear the punk in there too huh?
Gary was just awarded a star on the walk of fame!
This drummer is so incredibly on point.
He's a dick. He was consumed by jealousy of Genesis - in his own words "resentment" - because they fared better commercially. Bad sport.
John 'pugwash' Weathers - went on to join Man, replacing the brilliant Terry Williams (Pugwash also did a stint with the Neutrons). Great drummer, indeed.
They all are on point
I saw him many times as part of this band ruclips.net/video/G_Gh94QgWg4/видео.html
Great drummer!
Pugwash is awesome. Seriously underrated drummer
Can you imagine a band like this today trying to get a record deal? Thank goodness for a time that fostered this kind of creativity.
@@LibrarianValkyrie
"Nowadays you can do everything yourself". Not quite. Granted, the 'cost of entry' is, thankfully, not what it used to be.
Good point. Someone like Ian Dury would not have a hope and we'd be the poorer for it. ✌👍
Sungod has a point. You could release this through bandcamp on your own terms and record in who knows how many ways. I will admit, maybe the openness to creativity was a tiny bit higher than it is now, but that discredits the hard work of experimenting musicians today. Jd Beck and Domi and pushing the limits of jazz fusion from their bedrooms.
Neal Morse? Similitude of a Dream Part I
A lot of great music happened because it was across the pond.
been listening to them for over 50 years now. and it still shakes my giblets. no dancers, no light show, no screens, just masterful musicianship.
same her. wish i could play like that.
Bass player is doing a little dance
I see plenty of dancing.
@@litup6465 🧐 😅
Absolute! Same here.
The tone on Ray Shulman's bass is killer! He was a genius of a bass player. Plus the keyboard playing, drumming, singing and guitaring are all phenomenal!
His tone and playing style is similar to John Camp of Renaissance.
In fact they sound like an avant-garde Renaissance
Just enough fuzz. ;)
My thoughts exactly
@@plumage_again His tone is miraculous. the bass and low end proper are Fender perfection, and as you point out, there's just enough edge, like a tube preamp, or real tubes somewhere.
Last year, in a book about a famous live concert venue in my hometown, where lots of great acts played during the 70s and 80s - everyone from Deep Purple to Diana Ross - I spotted some recollections by a guy who had seen them during their 1976 tour. He and his acquaintance on the seat next to him were both super impressed by the playing skills of GG, and as aspiring bassists, especially by Ray Shulman. "We were floored by him...In time I went into other direcftions in life; my friend however did make a living out of playing the bass. His name was Jonas Hellborg."
The Shulmans lived 200 yds from me in Potsmouth when they first started out, they were then called The Roadrunners around 1964/65. I used to watch them play at Eastney youth club at Eastney moden school back then as a 14 year old. Also Phill Schulman who played sax in the band was my art teacher at Eastney Modern school. They then turned profesional & changed there name to Simon Dupree & the Big Sound, before forming Gentle Giant. Lots of care free happy moments back in those days.
Merci beaucoup pour se partage, j'avoue que c'est l'un des meilleurs groupes progressifs des années 70....
I'm a 24 years old discovering Prog, and Gentle Giant is slowly getting there as my favorite Prog Band. Crazy how they had talent !
Congrats for discovering GG-the greatest most legendary genius band ever
Вы молодец, мало кто из молодёжи понимает серьёзную музыку.
I remember liking them when I was younger. I grew out of this juvenile crud.
This band is the definition of progressive rock.
I AGREE!!!
So what is the definition?
@@TheConsciousEvolutionchannel So what is the definition?
@@TheConsciousEvolutionchannel gentle giant
@@tixximmi1 Technical, Emotional, Epic and hard to play, that's is prog.
My reaction remains the same as the first time I heard Gentle Giant: Oh. My. God.
Derek Shulman (Lead Vocals, Tambourine), Gary Green (Guitars, Recorder, Co-lead vocals), Ray Shulman (Bass, Viola, Co-lead vocals), Kerry Minnear (Keyboards, Cello, Co-lead vocals), John Weathers (Drums, Vibraphone)
Such a fabulous quintet! So unique!
Some credit due to the sound engineers, what a superb recording!
True!
Good point
Yey, thank you Mister sound engineer
I agree!
YES!! That bass tone is blowing me away!!!!
What happens in On Reflection is a miracle. I showed that to dozens of students, musicians and friends. Some were shocked, but some couldn't note how impossible is to make someone play 4-part poliphony in 2 different instruments and still sing a capella polyphonic lines
Yeah, its the complete mastery of music displayed.
@@Percopius The Most Underrated Progressive Rock Band, Gentle Giant
It’s crazy how talented these guys are. I thinks they are my favorite band.
You are correct, best band ever!
I am in a shopping mall in Toledo, Ohio, listening to this band in my ear plugs, I have know their music for over forty years and yet now their music is blowing my mind again, this is wondrous, how could they play live so well? Live they are even better than my favorite band ever, Genesis. Both bands were just amazing.
The BEST band, ever. Fine composers, fine performers, virtuoso instrumentalists.
they were able to write in all kind of styles: ballads, hard rock songs, classic counterpoint, funky, Renaissance tunes.... And they did not care very much about show business: the music was at first place, always. Just amazing. Every musician has something to learn from them. Thank you, Giants.
Absolutely love your comments/statement/agree a gazillion% with every word.cheers my friend
100% agree on what you've written above Renato.Thank you for put it so well!
Joking right?
Ashamed to say that despite being 61 I'd never heard of Gentle Giant until this year. Every album is a gem uncovered.
That's probably more a matter of great marketing on part of the managements of those bands you HAVE heard of? :D Gentle Giant did their part of the deal (!) writing, rehearsing, recording and performing the music and people couldn't market it properly. I'm 61 as well and sometimes I feel there is too much nostalgia going on in my record collection. Count yourself lucky to have a "new fresh" experience to be surprised by. :D
Better late than never 😊
I'm 62 same story, what a discovery, incredible talent and creativity
I'm in my late 20s. I liked this stuff when I was around 16, but I've grown away from it. Too juvenile.
Tightest and most talented band in prog rock ever, I am a huge King Crimson fan, but these guys are just overwhelming.
My god what a formidable live band. One of the few Progressive Rock bands that actually ROCK. Then there’s vast dimensions of their arrangements. Forever cherished Band. ❤️
marry me
ruclips.net/video/8vYHuxYxUGE/видео.html
@@warmfuzzydeath 💋💋💋💋❤️❤️❤️❤️
@@TONE11111 this was amazing! Thank you for posting! Subscribed! ❤️
:)...A bit short sighted or, perhaps over exuberant.. But, Having started my concert going career in 1974, I assure you ALL of the prog bands rocked...YES, Genesis, U.K, Crimso, Pink Floyd, Mahavishnu orchestra, Kansas, ELP, and many others...Just as great as this...:)
RIP Ray, one of the finest multi-instrumentalist of our lifetime
And a wonderful guy. An old friend of mine from Western Pennsylvania, Barbara Tanner, was his wife, and I was fortunate to spend some time with them. Ray was humble and soft-spoken; you'd never know that he was this incredibly talented and skilled musician. Taken too soon.
He passed?
Amazing band. Overloaded with talent and amazing songs. These guys really should be as well known as Yes and Genesis.
ruclips.net/video/jnKhmHIG6Kk/видео.html M B, so agree👍🏻👍🏻I stumbled upon this very interesting character who dissects and reacts to great music 👍🏻
@@keith9482 for most of us prog fans, Derek's corny or whiny vocals were the dealbreaker. (Kerry has a much better voice.) also, their music was far more obtuse than a YES or King Crimson. shame, b/c of the talent in the band.
@@dumpygoodness4086 Shulman's got one of THE great rock voices. He's like Roger Chapman without the bleating. Fantastic. Kerry had a very sweet, pleasant voice but couldn't support his voice for lead vocals live.
I always called them, the Best band you never heard of. The word underrated is way overused. Except here.
Genesis I agree. They are in a different league musically compared to YES (and I’m a life long YES fan)
Is there a more under appreciated, underrated, under discussed guitarist than Gary Green! He's just amazing!! We all have our favorite guitarists, but he has never gotten the respect he deserves. He's flown under the radar for so many years. Only true GG fans really know of his excellence. Just love the guy. I'm just glad people get to see him and GG in these live performances on RUclips. Thanks for the share!! I love Gentle Giant. So glad I got to see them four times. Opening for Yes, Jethro Tull and Foghat in the early 1970's. Finally got to see them headline at Harpo's in Detroit, Michigan in 1980. What a band. Truly one of a kind.
So true! Gary is one of the best. I had a cool experience involving Mr. Green in 1974. My bro Jim and I wanted to get into the Whiskey a-go-go to hear GG. We went up the fire escape and knocked on a door. Gary Green opened it! He said "C'mon in. Are these guys ready to go on yet?" He went back into the dressing room, got the other Shulmans , Minnears, and Weathers, and they all went down the stairs and out onto the stage to start the show. It was so cool.
@@lukelester481 now that's cool
Hell of a nice guy to boot.
It’s 2022, I have seen this a gazzillion times, and never stop to amaze me, those guys where brilliant !!
Fuckin A 🤘 Rock on.
and hey why not, this video is one of the best things so far about 2023.
Ray Shulman is one of the most criminally overlooked and underrated bassist of all time.
@Lance Williams Agreed, but it was his bass playing that always jumped out at me. I also liked his stage presence. I saw Giant live a couple of times and he always had a special "spark" about him on stage.
@@bobparker8294 I agree. We all know how talented these guys are on multiple instruments, but, yes, his bass playing is superb. not in the solo sense, but as part of the symphony that is held together by a strong rhythm section. Very interplaying, yet strong and forward.
I don't think the drummer gets much attention either. When you listen to their music and focus on his drumming, he is perfect for their style and sound. Too many people judge drummers by their athletic drum solos, and that is not the main function of a drummer in a band.
No he wasn't.
@@birage9885 I agree. John Weathers is amazing here. There are household names like Bonham, Paice and Peart that are continually held aloft as the best that 70s rock drumming had to offer. They are all great drummers but, I sincerely believe they were not of a calibre to play in a band like this. I think, John Weathers could of however filled in for their bands with a couple of weeks rehearsal. He is amazing.
Not to mention his guitar and mallet(tuned percussion) skills. Obviously a very talented all-round musician, as was every other member of this group.
RiP Raymond Shulman. Amazing songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and sound engineer. You'll be sorely missed.
What is refreshing about these guys is that they did not attempt to be any kind of superstar. Just every day people with extraordinary musical talents enjoying making great music.
Just the same as anybody else!
RIP Ray Shulman, those bass grooves and that awesome fat tone will live forever. 🙏🏻 🎸
This is like the 100th time I've watched this. Loove this band.
The greatest band ever
Same here.....
"Memories of Old Days" is just staggering. The way the four guitars are orchestrated is unbelievable
Yes it is! An absolutely beautiful piece of music, defenitely one of my favourites. Don´t you think this live version here was quite weak though?
when kerry pulled out the guitar I nearly cried
Saw them in Chicago in my late teens, they changed my brain, my outlook on music changed … they set a clean standard in music for me, what a group and never got the respect ! Prog was changed in my mind, loved them !
@@theupstairsbasementstudio7657 Still haven't grown out of it!? These guys were clowns
By far the greatest of the "Prog Rock" bands from that era. Those harmonies.....how did they come up with them, much less remember the notes they were supposed to hit when the time came? Truly amazing!
This is still so far ahead compared to most of todays music ! The interchanging of instruments, polyphonic lines, changes of tempo, etc. etc. Gentle Giant, a must for all who aspire to make music.
Pretty cool eh!🍁
No sequencers!
@@allenp920 Then what do you call Kerry's left hand?
Unreal. Totally unreal. I mean, how on earth do you compose and perform music like this? Unreal...really.
As a huge prog fan I have to admit I came a little late to these guys. There is, in my mind no other band who achieved that level of musicianship. Gary Green is easily up there with Howe and Hackett and Ray Shulman and is up there with Chris Squire and that's only two them. The vocals first drew me in and here they a faultless. I can only think they never won as many plaudits on their instruments because they never stayed on them long enough!
A friend's band supported them around this era and said it blew their minds watching them after their set.
So glad they are getting the appreciation they deserve now, they were truly ahead of their time. Thank you Gentle Giant for the music and the humour, no one worked as hard as you.
Well said, I got to see GG 4 times, very special group of musicians.
Is that a celtic shirt
@@ppmppm7010
The only people who worked harder was the road crew. Severely undermanned...but every night was pure magic.
For Gentle Giant round about two million views, respect! They are one of the most criminaly underrated bands ever. I like GG so much, it's real good music.
This is the kind of Western music many people in Japan love, this is indeed good music.
Fully agreed. I loved the "criminal underrated" definition. All multi-instrumentist musicians. Btw best record is The Power and The Glory imho
The word underrated is used way too much. But in this case I think it holds true.
Yup, here comes Underrated again, yeesh give strength..
I don’t see how. I haven’t stopped 1 single good song. All songs I could have easily written myself.
Shit! This band is good! Being in Sri Lanka at the margins of the western music world, I came across Gentle Giant much after I immersed in Western hard rock, progressive and jazz rock. In the seventies, we only got to hear the big names - ELP, Yes, Tull, Floyd et al - and may be vaguely of the existence of these lesser known groups like G Giant, Gong. It's thanks to You Tube and you cool guys who upload.
Only a band as great as Gentle Giant can make a song like "Two Weeks in Spain" sound so good.
ha!
I am 76 and bought 2 import records of Gentle Giant back in 72. They got a opening act gig for Wishbone Ash. The audience had never seen or heard of them and just came t see Wishbone Ash. By the end of their second tune the audience were standing on their cushioned seats and bouncing on them to the music. People were dancing in the isles. they simply went crazy. After they finished Wishbone Ash came on and the audience sat quite and at the end of the second tune it was dead silent. I turned around and the entire audience had left the hall. WTF!!!
I saw the Doors, Janis Joplin, Cream, Hendrix twice, The Rolling Stones, Yes, ELP, Genesis, Rush ...and many more but this was the best concert I saw in my life.
October 11, 1975 New York Academy of Music. The tightest display of musicianship this Concert Rat has ever seen. These guys.
The greatest band ever. Period. I encourage especially the die-hard Gentle Giant fans who were critical of the later, more commercial tunes to listen to this show as a whole. The juxtaposition of the non-prog songs adds quite a bit, just like the constant rotating of instruments and overall dynamics.
Os brasileiros também amam o Gentle Giant. Maravilha das maravilhas!!!!
Gentle Giant é um diamante do progressivo.
Isso aí brother!
Muito bom umas das minhas bandas de rock progressivo favoritas.
Long live the Giant! Long live the greatest drummer of all time, Pugwash John Weathers!!!
This has to be one of the best bands ever. So friggin good
No shit!
The greatest band the public s never heard ?
I saw them at the Roxy in L.A. around the same time. They were jaw dropping. Tight, so very very tight playing really complex parts executed flawlessly.
Ray, once again proving bass is the hardest instrument. What a monster player.
Only a bassist would say that. Joker
More than the depth and complexity in the music itself, and more than the musical mastery of every single one of the band members, the raw energy that comes from total conviction and the absence of mediocrity are what I find so inspiring. They believe in their music with a vengeance. Also, I think it's brilliant to use complexity itself as a means of expression, when it has only ever been a consequence of expression before. It's brutally unapologetic, just as real rock should be.
That comment should be engraved in gold. 👏👏👏👏👏👏
And it's catchy, has tight grooves, is really uplifting and not so cerebral that it's sounds self serving.
Best comment ever
Brilliant - the music and your comment
Gimmicky
As a big fan of prog rock and as a young musician writing prog rock, the discovery of this band made my day
AMAZING AND WAY AHEAD OF THEIR TIME !
Derek has a very unique and pleasing voice.
Agree with what you gave said here a gazillion% the greatest most legendary genius band ever
They all play so many instruments with such brilliance, great 👍
Rest easy, Ray! Such a tremendous multi-instrumentalist, greatly demonstrated here!
this video is one example of perfection
just the singing alone is just perfect!
all the other stuff around it, including the body language, really just perfection!!!
Can not sing enough praises of this group. They should go down in rock history as among the best of prog rock groups. And the most inventive groups of all time
One of the better live rock concerts ever!! What a great band GG!! I am a devote follower of Yes, Genesis , ELP, P Floyd, Marillion, Renaissance....but this, THIS is different. I cant stop watching GG....Thanks for your music
The Most Underrated Band Ever!
You almost got it right but you should have added the word criminally before underated and added the words greatest band ever
One of the best ever anywhere.
One of the things I like best about Gentle Giant is that for all the astonishing complexity, they had fun and weren't afraid to show it when they were playing live. No dry ice and lasers and robes necessary.
Yes! It's funny to me because the music is the apex of the pomp that punk was pushing back against, but live they don't look so serious. Genesis were the other way round.
@@stevecarter8810 They don't seem like they were taking what they were doing seriously, so... why should I? Just a bunch of clowns
@@coltonbeatty6117 I'm so sorry you had to live through whatever they did to you
@@stevecarter8810 They? Put aside the sarcasm and just say what you want to say directly.
@@coltonbeatty6117 ok: as direct as I know how: don't post pointless negative crap like your last two comments
This is quite simply the finest live music you will ever hear. The versatility and togetherness of the band, combined with the arrangements and atmosphere created by the sheer might of the writing ability is astounding. I say this as a Fripp, Zappa, Genesis and Yes fan. This is another level in my opinion.
It's hard to disagree with you, this is spellbinding stuff, I'm a massive fan of Yes too and this more than holds it own.
@@shaneoconnor5811 Yes Music is far more structured and memorable.
Saw them live 7/4/76 in Rochester, NY. Could not believe what I had just experienced. Still, too this day, the greatest show I’ve ever seen and I’m now 61.
Indeed!
Ray was huge in any sense. A Fender bass in his hands look as a strato. RIP dear giant.❤
Gentle Giant is one of the most original bands in modern music. The musical level of each member and as a team is simply extraordinary. There are bands that are way ahead of their time and musical era, and Gentle Giant is clearly one of them. I truly admire and love Gentle Giant. Thank you so much for your music, your creativity and your beautiful musical " craziness ".
This is how you did shit back then...no computers, no auto tune, no drum machines, no samples.... the mixer was as long as a dining room table...everything was hard wired and the tape was 2" wide and cost a fortune!!!
You worked your part until you could play it in your sleep! This was the best time in audio EVER!!!!!
Have to agree! The musicians must had the songs on the fingers. There was no cutting or tune. Played wrong? Do it again, until make it right!
Amen. I sorely miss those days. Analog all the way.
12 seconds in and already I see a dude surrounded by electronic keyboards and synths, waiting for the taped intro to finish. it’s one bad haircut away from a Skrillex gig
@@QuartetoScherzo Picked up my new mixer at Yellow Freight 15 years ago. Had to leave the tailgate down and strap it in. In its shipping box, the damn thing wouldn't fit inside the 5 1/2 foot bed of my friend's pick-up!!! BIG mixer... an analog Allen & Heath 56 channel with 10 subs :) Also had two large custom made slant front side cabinets full of equipment to go along with it. Twelve dbx266xl compressors, two TC Electronics and one Lexicon multi-effect processors, four Aphex Aural Exciters, six Orban Dynamic Sibilance Controllers, two single channel 31 band EQ's, four feedback eliminators, a real time analyzer, etc., etc.
I hate digital mixers... will not work with one PERIOD. I will not go through a half dozen screens just to reset a compressor to 3:1 instead of 2:1. Or another half dozens screens to kick a little more 2K in a vocal channel, or drop the center frequency to 1.8K. With an analog mixer and an analog off-board rack, I can make that change in a millisecond. Had people come up all the time after a concert to tell me how great everything sounded... then be shocked that I was using an 'old' analog mixer and off-board effects. My answer... THAT is why it sounded so good!!! I won't use the new switching power supply power amps either. Yeah they're light weight... but the bass will start breaking up way before their supposed rated power :( My old QSC's might weigh 30 pounds a piece... but they will run right at clip for hours and hours and put out crystal clear sound and floor shaking bass.
It saddened me to see the Gentle Giant's keyboardist with an on-stage mixer. The only thing worse to me is an on-stage mixer for the drums. For the keyboards... what he/she hears on stage isn't always what is needed in the house mix. And somethings a little EQ'ing is needed, but just on one of the keyboards :( And drums... how the hell can I pull the snare or bass or high-hat up in the mix depending on the song being played it they are all mixed on-stage??? I also always demanded a separate mic for the ride cymbal. With just overheads, the ride gets lost in the mix. Plus every individual instrument and vocalist needs their own separate channel. It IS a pain in the a$$ to keep on top of all those channels... but THAT is what a sound man is paid for.
@@nonddd9222 Nothing to do with what they say up there. That's just a welcome intro. The one people use these days are software synth or softsynth(computer generated sound) very2 different from an old generation digital hardware synth.
In my opinion, it's simply one of the best bands even after 40 years. Incredible. Thanks for publishing.
Bands like this is why Iove prog so much
Funny, because this is pretty much why I'm losing interest in prog.
I am a Gentle Giant junkie. I listened to just GG for years... drove everyone, including myself, crazy!! Love them!
Ok, so the entire BAND can play guitar and how many other instruments?!? Easily one of the most underrated prog bands of all time. Incredibly intricate and tasteful arrangements coupled with shear raw talent. I ask you - where are the band like this today??
Haken. Which btw. adore gentle giant ^^
How about thank you scientist?@@flowkap6911
The Shulman sons (and grandson/s) as REPLIKIN. . .
ruclips.net/video/O7Uuwj6Z8Go/видео.html
Neal Morse.
If it was here today, would you even find this special
Gary Green has to be one of the most underrated guitarists of all time.
It's infuriating
glen chimp yes! His solo, while I wouldn’t say it’s nuts, I would say it’s groovy and very nicely composed
@@b1gBud00bo1 Guilty as charged.
Not to shabby on the recorder either!
His solo on "His last voyage" alone would made Jimi smile ear to ear. Brutal musician.
Still grooving to them half a century later, timeless brilliance will be in my heart forever with so many other greats.
I’ve played difficult music in many bands and projects; Rush, Toto, Steely Dan etc but this stuff - this is truly unbelievably hard to play as a band and as individuals.
Gentle Giant, King Crimson, and Zappa are probably the hardest things you can come across (although Steely Dan can be a huge pain in the ass). Thank God nobody ever requests those three at clubs.
@@dr.juerdotitsgo5119 I would include Hatfield and the North in that list, also.
I was in a band that covered "Just the Same". Man, that was a BITCH. Half the band playing in 6, half the band playing in 7 on the verses. Totally insane.
👍
@@Notecrusher Do you happen to have footage of that? I would love to see someone else's interpretation of that song
Great Band ! Saw them live a few times back in NYC
the second time I got to see Gentle Giant I was living In Atlanta GA. they played a relatively small club downtown called Alex Cooleys Electric Ballroom. I went there with a friend and was tripping on LSD. Got separated from my bud and was searching for him, I went upstairs and there was a section roped off with 5 people sitting at a table I was standing next to them and one of them turns to me and asks me if I was familiar with this music. I said oh hell yes and told them of my first time seeing GG. they invited me between the ropes and I sat down, these people are known as the band Kansas. I sit with them tripping and drinking on their dime for the whole concert. What a life for a poor boy from Indiana.
+rick thompson What a sad story, my thoughts are with you, get well soon.
Interesting because both groups became popular around the same time
Gentle Giant is Kerry Livgrens favorite band...seems kansas being there all together was a great thing.. great story. .
Rick.. he is a monster. What an incredible musician
THATS A GOOD TIME BRO
Im so happy to see this has 2M views. Restores my faith in humanity a bit
“Betcha thought... “ was one of the most creative commentary of the rock scene in its time. Good to hear it again in 2021. 💖
For just one guy to be so brilliantly proficient is a rare find... For FIVE of them to be so good - and all find each other, and then to play like this, is a miracle. Exceptional musicianship - A true gem of a band - seldom given the credit they deserved, sadly. Perhaps it's just above most people's tiny brains.
+Tag Makers Pet Tags Haha, was thinking the same thing. Anyone that has played in a band knows what your talking about.
Not only is each of them brilliant, but what really makes it Gentle Giant is their most intricate interplay. Together they made some of the most complex and beautiful prog rock (even though they don't like that label).
Like Rush, from the same era, prog rock, all virtuosos
I first saw them live in maybe 1970 opening for Jethro Tull in Rochester, NY. I have every album and have seen them live another 3 or 4 times through to their disbandment. Whoever would think that Gregorian Chant could be so electric; that Medieval sound could rock in such an innovative way. What a great band with such great musicians playing multiple instruments. I miss them
These dudes were the real deal. Every song a masterpiece. Their work is virtually impossible to cover in any meaningful way.
The only group that deserves to cover GG is Gary Green's group "Three Friends" ... no one outside of the group would really appreciate what was being created.
Look up "Egentligen Giant". They do a very good job covering GG. Although they might not have been in existence yet when you wrote your comment
The band went out together to see Giant play this set in New Haven, in '77. We were stunned by their incredible musicianship. There was no band like them in the genre with their technical abilities, member to member. I recall they wore the same outfits as here, too. It was a display of musical excellence I'll never forget.
ONe of those accidental discoveries that takes the boredom out of life and turns it into pure musical bliss. I've never heard of this group before but i'm loving it!!! Thanks for sharing.
congratulations you just discovered the greatest most underated band ever
@@1359401 other than CARDIACS
One of the top five progressive rock bands ever. What I really like about them is they have a very original sound, they have soooo much fun on stage, and all of them can swap around different instruments. Lead singer has a very unique vocal style, very soulful and melodic.
1359401 underrated is an overrated comment.
I stumbled on them less than a year ago through this video and have wondered where they were my whole life. Killer musicians with incredible live presence and uncanny precision. And the medieval compositions and virtuosic performances on multiple instruments is just great. But does it get much better than John Weathers beating his kit into submission one moment and playing the most delicate and complex runs on the vibraphone or xylophone the next. Wonderful band of true musicians.
Nunca receberam a atenção que mereciam. Banda iconica dos anos 70!
Has a band ever had a more appropriate name???!!! Because they were GIANTS! I own almost all of their vinyl LPs, bought new in the 70s / early 80s. And as magical as those LPs are, FINALLY seeing them live is pure magic - as they were also great showmen. But to really get the experience, you have to read their lyrics and look at the album art. And usually when one says a certain band's member is extremely talented, they are typically talking about his or her proficiency on one instrument - whereas these guys are each masters of several. I love that they played all of these delicate, beautiful parts, the incredible harmonies, the wonderful, unusual keyboard embellishments, dynamic bass lines, awesome drumming, and layered acoustic guitars, and then loud, bluesy passages that really rock on electric - and so often, all in the same track!
How wonderful is this, nobody “dislikes” this video. “WE” always find sometii hi king to complain about. Gentle Giant is lovely pure joy and weirdness.
Hang on a minute, the keyboard player is playing a cello, the guitarist is playing a recorder and the bassist is playing a violin!!! What the... kind of super group IS this???
You ask what kind of o super group is this? answer-they were/are the greatest most criminally underated band ever
Aaaaaand...they sang!!!
Seen this band in The Liverpool Stadium in about 1972, everyone played everything, very talented band..I read somewhere Reg Dwight stepped in on keyboards for a few gigs in the early days.
Underrated indeed it about to start this again its is I a musical class all by itself. This is new music & record companies should recognize its potential. Listening record companies?
SIMPLE PUT IT...PROG ROCK....😁🎸🎶🎵🎻🎶🎶🎼🎼🎼
1. Two Weeks In Spain (The Missing Piece) 0:22
Gary Green - Electric Guitar
Kerry Minnear - Wurlitzer, Synthesizer, Hammond Organ
Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals, Tambourine
Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar
John Weathers - Drum Kit
2. Free Hand (Free Hand) 3:33
Gary Green - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
Kerry Minnear - Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ, Clavinet, Backing Vocals
Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals
Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
John Weathers - Drum Kit
3. On Reflection (Free Hand) 11:10
Gary Green - Soprano Recorder, Vocals, Electric Guitar
Kerry Minnear - Cello, Vocals, Wurlitzer, Clavinet, Synthesizer
Derek Shulman - Vocals, Tambourine
Ray Shulman - Violin, Vocals, Bass Guitar
John Weathers - Vibraphone, Vocals, Sleigh Bells, Drum Kit, Glockenspiel
4. I'm Turning Around (The Missing Piece) 16:57
Gary Green - Electric Guitar
Kerry Minnear - Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ
Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals
Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar
John Weathers - Drum Kit
5. Just The Same (Free Hand) 21:06
Gary Green - Electric Guitar
Kerry Minnear - Wurlitzer, Clavinet, Synthesizer, Hammond Organ
Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals, Tambourine
Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar
John Weathers - Drum Kit
6. Playing the Game (The Power and the Glory) 26:03
Gary Green - Electric Guitar
Kerry Minnear - Minimoog, Synthesizer
Derek Shulman - "Shulberry", Lead Vocals
Ray Shulman - Electric Guitar
John Weathers - Drum Kit
7. Memories Of Old Days (The Missing Piece) 30:50
Gary Green - 12-String Acoustic Guitar
Kerry Minnear - Hammond Organ, Wurlitzer, Synthesizer, Electric Guitar
Derek Shulman - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals
Ray Shulman - Acoustic Guitar
John Weathers - Electric Guitar
8. Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It (The Missing Piece) 38:14
Gary Green - Electric Guitar
Kerry Minnear - Electric Guitar
Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals
Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar
John Weathers - Drum Kit
9. JP Weathers presents 40:53
10. Funny Ways (Gentle Giant) 42:40
Gary Green - 12-String Acoustic Guitar
Kerry Minnear - Cello, Backing Vocals, Hammond Organ, Synthesizer, Vibraphone
Derek Shulman - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals
Ray Shulman - Violin, Backing Vocals, Trumpet
John Weathers - Drum Kit
11. For Nobody (The Missing Piece) 51:23
Gary Green - Electric Guitar
Kerry Minnear - Hammond Organ, Backing Vocals, Wurlitzer
Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals
Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
John Weathers - Drum Kit
12. Mountain Time (The Missing Piece) 56:00
Gary Green - Electric Guitar
Kerry Minnear - Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ
Derek Shulman - Lead Vocals
Ray Shulman - Bass Guitar
John Weathers - Drum Kit
What a great band! There's everything: folk, funk, rock, jazz and incredible lots of talent
nice band! I never knew of this band till I clicked on this. I enjoyed this very much. THe keyboard player is a a magician. He can play just about anything!
Pasan los años, pasan las décadas y me sigue asombrando la "sincronizada virtuosidad" de este grupo. Su sonido es único e irrepetible. Gran personalidad la de los GG. Una de las mas grande bandas que he escuchado. Gracias Gentle Giant!
Was introduced to this band at age 20 by a music "connaisseur" friend during our civil service time in Münster, Germany (Thanks Andreas, you made my life richer) and ever since I believe these guys to be the most innovative, intoxicating flavour rich band of all times. Best be served sober (or with booze, or weed, or fruit....:)
THIS VIDEO IS EPIC! Thank God for Gentle Giant! What an amazing group.
I saw them at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in April of 1977. One of the best concerts I have ever seen.
That night watched them in amazement as they played On Reflection (at 10:42 on this video) live and do it flawlessly. Later, on the way home, Derek Shulman was interviewed on KROQ 106.7 and he said it took a full TWO WEEKS to get the studio version of correct because it was so complex. Two weeks with do overs and editing! We had just witnessed them do it live with no editing and it was perfect. These guys had TALENT with a capital T.
Thank you Gentle Giant for 48 years of GREAT MUSIC which sounds as fresh today as it did back then. Well done.
I am the biggest Yes and ELP fan. I found this band only a couple years ago and I appreciate them just as much. There is something about them and their music I like so much. I can't actually explain it. They are just so organically good and natural. All these performances I can they were really having fun. Their energy is great.
I saw that show at the Shrine too. A pretty small venue. Out of all the shows that came through LA, this one has stuck in my mind as one of the best. As good as Peter Gabriel Genesis "The Lamb Lays Down on Broadway" at the same venue. Different but memorable too. Thanks for the date of the concert. Think they played w/Renaissance. Have to say I liked GG better.
What an incredible band. Love the drummer’s groove and that he’s wearing an A’s uniform! My hometown!
Most unique prog band ever. Amazing musicians.
I agree with you. But I also stand by my position that their low rung position was appropriate.
15:04 transition gives me chills. Massive amount of talent in this band. Have watched this concert countless times now. Never gets stale.
It never gets stale because they were/are the greatest band ever
@@1359401 👍
Over the years they have risen to the top of 70s prog for me! Just astoundingly creative and an incredible live band!
Wonderfully gifted musicians and composers! I've been a GG fan from my early teenage!
This is one of the most unappreciated bands of all time. This is what I call fusion. These guys have it all. I am so glad this was posted as I never got to see them live but I have a lot of their recordings. Thank you!!!
You are very fortunate! In an "Interview" with Kerry Mineer, or Derek Schulman, that they felt they were bigger in the U.S. than England; specically San Francisco. Wow!
I like the A's regalia.
Giants football, N.Y. Yankee fan. Maybe in a couple of seasons we'll see an A's, Giants W.S.
***** Not true friend...GG made more money here than anywhere...They sold out everywhere...Not bad when your competition is YES, ELP, GENESIS, ZAPPA, CRIMSO, FLOYD, TULL,VISHNU,MOODY BLUES, and about a thousand other splendid bands... ( oh yeah, all of them at their peak, all brilliant) We love them here in philly, I know that. : )
I was quoting Kerry Mineer. Argue with him.
The time changes and metric modulation alone is formidable.
I was their that night. A most underrated band with some exceptional talent.
@C Davis
How can they be underrated when this has 1,6 Million views ?
They are not underrated among Prog Fans they are mentioned in the same Sentence like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Frank Zappa s 1975 Band.
I saw Gentle Giant
It was the concert at Widener University featured on the latest huge boxset:
" CHESTER, 1977"
GG turned a mausoleum of a field house into a concert hall. Ray Schulman's quad violin solo was extraordinary!
GG by far the best live band I have ever seen! Yes complex arrangements but not contrived nor disingenuous. Superb melodies, harmonies, and rhythms. This band was FUN and the most musically adventurous.
I am on the floor crying and in ectasy, GG consistently performed the best live concerts I had not the chance to be there.40 years late but ... I was there, you are simply the best.
*As a second comment, I'm listening to Just The Same [yes, a day later from my first comment, things are slow moving out here !!] and I can't get over how tight Gentile Giant was, and how intricate their music was. NOBODY was doing anything on that level at this time, and it's debatable if anyone ever did as time went on, so BRAVO Gentile Giant !!
Great observation.could not agree with your more. I saw them live 7/4/76. Still trying to process that show.
Amazing underrated band by the mainstream and part of the public...
the greatest most criminally underated band ever
Wonderful group of british art-rock. At firsts they've stunned me with "In the Glass House", and after that I've heard all other albums. And they are great. They are Giant. Giant of Rock.
First time hearing this band play. What a treat! Thanks
always thought they were the best British prog band saw them in 1972 in plymouth, they were very much like the way they are in this brilliant upload - remarkable!
We probably never could listen ever this quality and ideas ,all is gone, the killer is commercial music. Thank for your music Gentle Giant